Triple D Chili

Last night my DH and I were watching "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and it seemed like every episode we watched had hot dogs, so of course we both got hungry for hot dogs!  Chili cheese dogs to be precise.  One particular episode the owner showed how to make chili from scratch.  So that is   what I am attempting to replicate tonight.

There is no set recipe, and there are no measurements aside from the pound of hamburger.  So you will need to gather

Canola Oil and Olive oil

Beef Soup base

Ketchup and Mustard

White Vinegar and
Worchestershire sauce (not pictured)

Paprika

Chili Powder

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Cumin

Ground Pepper

Onion and Carrots

 After spending several hours at the Zoo for a birthday party I used the easy route and used the food processor to chop up the carrots and onion.

Set a pan on the stove and pour in a blop (yes this is a technical term) of each of the oils.  The sweat the carrots and onion.

Once they are sweating good add the hamburger

And the spices, all just kinda thrown in depending on how you think you will like it.  And I forgot to mention that you need some water (12-ish ounces) too...so add that now.

Yes, at this point the hamburger is raw but that is OK because this is going to cook and simmer and make you drool for 30-45 minutes.  After 15 minutes or so taste the chili to see if you like the flavors, and then you can add more of any of the spices, whatever you think it needs.

Almost done!

Once the chili is done it's time to assemble the chili dog!  Bun, grilled or boiled dog, top with chili and cheese.

ENJOY!

I want a midnight snack!

It's just after midnight here, and I'm craving something crunchy, maybe a bit salty...so I raided the fridge...not much there...

BUT...I did find 3 beautiful cucumbers and a half an onion...so it's time for Cucumber and Onion Salad.  This can be made once, and as long as you keep adding cucumbers and onion you can keep this salad going all summer long!  So I'm going to make some for snacking on tomorrow!

Gather your cucumbers and onion, I'll be adding more onion tomorrow but for now I only have a half of one.

I am a lucky owner (thanks mom and dad) of a mandolin.  Makes slicing stuff SOOOOOOO much easier.  And safer for my fingers too!

Once it's all sliced, cucumbers and onion plop them in your container (with lid).

In a large measuring cup add 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water, and 1/2 cup sugar stir it up!
                                                                                                          
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon pepper and a dash of salt over your cucumber and onions then pour the liquid on top!

Pop that lid on, and carefully turn it to mix it all up. You might want to do this over the sink as my container wasn't totally leak proof.


I also made a second more spicy batch for my DH using Turmeric and Crushed Red Pepper.  There was enough liquid left after I filled the first container to fill the second smaller container.

Refrigerate overnight and ENJOY!  Keep adding Cucumber and Onion as the "supply" gets eaten!